Civil Rights Timeline

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

i. The court case that allowed separate but equal facilities was Plessy v. Ferguson
ii.An African American was denied admission to an all white school,started the Brown v. Board case
iii.The result of Brown v. Board was that the court ruled in favor of the board of education

Civil Rights Timeline

Period: May 17, 1954 to Apr 4, 1968

Rosa Parks

Dec 1, 1955

i.An African American refused to give up their seat on the bus to a white passenger
ii.It led to a year long boycott of the bus system and a Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Aug 29, 1957

i.Congress passes this first civil rights act since reconstruction
ii.The law stateted that more African Americans can vote

Little Rock,Arkansas

Sep 24, 1957

i.The governor stopped from the African American kids entering the school.
ii.Eisenhower send troops to escort the Little Rock Nine kids to school.

Attack of the Freedom Riders

May 14, 1961

i.Freedom Riders was a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals.
ii. Congress of Racial Equality helped organize Freedom Rides
iii. Not only did African Americans join in the Freedom Riders but whites too.

James Meredith enrolls at Ole Miss

Sep 30, 1962

i. When James Meredith tried to apply to Ole Miss, they denied him because he was African American.
ii. JFK sent U.S. Marshals to the campus to escort Meredith

Medgar Evers Assassinated

Jun 12, 1963

i. Evers was a civil rights leader in Mississippi that boycotted white companies that practiced discrimination
ii. He got shot in the back in front of his house

The March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

i. Americans were walking for the civil rights act to be passed by congress.
ii. Martin Luther King's " I have a dream"-speech was delivered when everyone met in Washington

Civil Rights Act of 1964

May 4, 1964

i. This Act was passed by Lyndon B. Johnson
ii. The law ended segregation in public places and forbid employment discrimination on the basis of race,religion,color,sex or national origin.

March to Selma

Mar 7, 1965

i. The march was organized to increase the numbers of African Americans voting
ii. The marchers faced state troopers with whips and tear gas that sent them back to Selma.
iii. Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote to all African Americans.

Thurgood Marshall

Oct 2, 1967

i. Before becoming a justice, Thurgood was on the lega counsel for the National Assosciation for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
ii.This was a monumental event because he was the first black Supreme Court justice.

The Assassination of Rr. Martin Luther King

Apr 4, 1968

i. King was standing on his balcony when he got shot by a sniper
ii. King's death had a great impact on both black and white peeple becasue Afrian Ameicans saw it as a rejection of their efforts for equality through nonviolent protest.